Spring 2019 Ethics Course Lecture Notes

Return to Ethics

Ethics

1: JAN 16

Introduction to the Course

Welcome

About the Course

Course Websites (handout)

Approaching Ethics through contemporary research. Fields involved: Psychology, Moral Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Behavioral Economics, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, History, Global Studies
Major Applied Topics: Obligations to Assist, Globalization Ethics (climate, human rights, trade), Immigration

Succeeding in the Course

Prep Cycle - view old notes, read, note, quiz, evaluate preparation.
Keep in Mind Course Research Questions

Course Management
Transparency in Pedagogy

Some Course Dates:

Writing Workshop 2/20

SW1 due 3/4

SW2 due 3/27

Finish optional journals by 4/15

SW3 due 4/29

Critical Analysis Paper due 4/22

Final Essay due at Final Exam time.

Required Assignments and Weight Ranges

Critical Analysis Paper 20-30% .3
Final Essays 20-30% .3
Q&W 25-40 .4

2: JAN 23

Assigned

Ariely, Why We Lie (6)

Singer, Chapter 1, "About Ethics," from Practical Ethics

Zimbardo Experiment -- view one of the youtube videos about the experiment. read the wiki page.

Philosophical Method

Please find time to review the wiki page Philosophical Methods. Today we'll be working with the following methods:

Theorizing from new or established knowledge
Identifying presuppositions
Defining terms
Fitting principles to cases
Counter-examples

Method: Tips on How to report study findings

Philosophy makes use of a wide range of evidence and knowledge. In this course you will encounter alot of psychological, anthropological and cultural studies. You have to practice the way you represent studies (as opposed to theories) and how you make inferences from their conclusions.

observational, survey, experimental
study setup: for observational: who were the test subjects, what were they asked to do; for survey: what instrument was used, to whom was it given?
what conditions were tested?
what was the immediate result?
what was the significance or inference to be made from the results?

Ariely, Why We Lie

Assumptions: we think honesty is an all or nothing trait.
Research on honesty with the "matrix task"

Shredder condition
Payment condition
Probability of getting caught condition
Distance of payment condition
Presence of a cheater condition

Priming with 10 commandments or signature on top of form
Implications: for current and possible new approaches to limit cheating.
Philosophical Implications: What, if anything, does this tell us about the nature of ethics?

Singer, Chapter 1, "About Ethics," from Practical Ethics

Some initial points:

Ethics not just about sexual morality
Ethics not an "ideal" that can't be put into practice
Ethics is not based on religion. Mentions Plato's dialogue Euthyphro- review core argument. Can you think of other positions on religion and ethics that might be compatible or incompatible with Singer's?

Singer's arguments against Ethics and relativism -- different versions of relativism:

Version 1: Ethics varies by culture: true and false, same act under different conditions may have different value, but this is superficial relativism. The different condition, for example, existence of birth control, are objective differences. The principle might remain the same and be objective (don't have kids you're not ready to care for)

Version 2: Marxist relativism (and similar critiques) and non-relativism: Morality is what the powerful say it is. But then, why side with the proletariat? Marxists must ultimately be objectivists about value or there is no argument for caring about oppression and making revolution.

Problems for real relativists ("wrong" means "I disapprove"): consistency across time, polls could determine ethics

Problems for subjectivist: making sense of disagreement

2 versions of subjectivism that might work: ethical disagreements express attitudes that we are trying to persuade others of (close to Haidt's "social agendas"). Or, ethical judgements are prescriptions that reflect a concern that others comply.

Singer: Ok to say the values aren't objective like physics (aren't facts about the world), but not sensible to deny the meaningfulness of moral disagreement. Ethical reasoning.

Singer's view (one of several major positions): p. 10 - ethical standards are supported by reason. Can't just be self-interested. Focus for Singer and many philosophers is that Ethics is the attempt and practice to justify our behaviors and expectations of others The focus falls on reason-giving and argumentation.

The sorts of reasons that count as ethical: universalizable ones. Note: most standard ethical theories satisfy this requirement, yet yield different analysis and advice.

Consequences of "equality of interests" in utilitarian thought: Principle of Utility: Greatest good (happiness) for the greatest number. 13: first utilitarians understood happiness in terms of pleasures and pains. Modern utilitarians are often "preference utilitarians".

3: JAN 28

Haidt, The Righteous Mind, Intro and Chapter 1

4: JAN 30

Lecture on Consequentialisms
Robert Sapolsky, from Behave, Chapter 13, "Morality and doing the Right Thing, Once You've Figured Out What that Is." pp. 478-483.

5: FEB 4

Haidt, Chapter 3, "Elephants Rule"
Haidt, Chapter 4, "Vote for Me (Here's Why)"

6: FEB 6

Lecture on Non-Consequentialisms

Robert Sapolsky, C 13, "Morality..." pp. 483-493.

The Trolley Problem

The Trolley Problem. Variations on the Trolley Problem: [[1]]
Self-driving cars with Trolley problems: [2]

The Cold Logic of Drunk People

7: FEB 11

Haidt, Chapter 5, "Beyond WEIRD Morality"
Haidt, Chapter 6, "Taste Buds of the Righteous Mind"

8: FEB 13

Hibbing, John R., Kevin Smith, and John R. Alford, Predisposed: Liberals, conservatives, and the biology of political difference, Chapter 1.
Lecture: Add notes on Phil Theories
Robert Sapolsky, C 13, "Morality..." pp. 493-500.

9: FEB 18

Haidt, Chapter 7, "The Moral Foundations of Politics"

Haidt, Chapter 8: The Conservative Advantage

10: FEB 20

Hibbing, John R., Kevin Smith, and John R. Alford, Predisposed, Chapter 2, "Getting Into Bedrock with Politics".
Writing workshop with old writing

11: FEB 25

Haidt, Chapter 9, "Why Are We so Groupish?"

12: FEB 27

Hibbing, John R., Kevin Smith, and John R. Alford, Predisposed, Chapter 4, "Drunk Flies and Salad Greens".
Robert Sapolsky, from Behave, Chapter 14, "Feeling Someone's Pain, Understanding Soemone's Pain, Alleviating Someone's Pain." 521-535.

13: MAR 4

Robert Sapolsky, C 13, "Morality..." pp. 501-517.
SW1

14: MAR 6

Robert Sapolsky, from Behave, Chapter 14, "Feeling Someone's Pain, Understanding Soemone's Pain, Alleviating Someone's Pain." 535--552.

15: MAR 18

Singer, "Rich and Poor"

16: MAR 20

Sachs, Jeffrey, "Can the Rich Afford to Help the Poor?" (2006)
Jeffrey Sachs, "The Case for Aid" p. 850

17: MAR 25

Singer, One World Now, Chapter 1, "A Changing World," (1-16)

18: MAR 27

Singer, One World Now, Chapter 2, "One Atmosphere," (16-69)
SW2

19: APR 1

Syla Benhabib, "The Morality of Migration" (766-767)

20: APR 3

Singer, One World Now, Chapter 4 "One Law," (122-149)

21: APR 8

Macdeo, Stephen, "The Moral Dilemma of U.S. Immigration Policy Revisited: Open Borders vs. Social Justice?" (768-780)

22: APR 10

Singer, One World Now, Chapter 3, "One Economy," (69-105)

23: APR 15

Singer, One World Now, Chapter 3, "One Economy," (105-122)

24: APR 17

Haidt, Chapter 10, "The Hive Switch" (221-246)

25: APR 22

Critical Analysis Paper due

26: APR 24

Haidt, Chapter 11, "Religion is a Team Sport" (189-221)

27: APR 29

Haidt, Chapter 12, "Can't We all Disagree More Constructively?" (189-221)
SW3 due

28: MAY 1

Course Conclusion